Greco The Ace

Greco The Ace

Personal information
Full name	Kostas Georgiou
Date of birth	(1942 --0?) 1942
Place of birth	Piraeus, Greece
Height
Playing position	Forward
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1959-1960	Torrent
National team
1959-1960	Brazil
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Search Greco The Ace on Amazon.

Greco The Ace was a fictional footballer created by Giorgos Marmaridis.

He first appeared in the eponymous comic strip in 1959 and last in 1960.

Publication

Greco The Ace was a weekly magazine of football adventures written by Giorgos Marmaridis, illustrated by Byron (Byron Aptosoglou) and published in 72 issues by the publishing house "Genikai Ekdotikai Epihirisis OE", from May 7, 1959 to September 2, 1960.

Career

Early life

The story takes place in Brazil at the time when the "Seleção" had won the first World Cup in its history, with the star of the great Pelé already beginning to rise at the age of just 18.

The main character of the comic is a 17-year-old Greek boy, Kostas Georgiou, nicknamed Grec later in Brazil. The little boy was orphaned by his father at a young age, and he also lost his mother at the age of 12. His guardianship was taken over by an uncle, whom little Kostas never viewed with favor.

So one day he decided to sneak onto a boat and travel as a scoundrel to São Paulo, Brazil. There he worked various jobs to survive and finish school.

Club

His great passion, however, was football! His talent helped him reach the level of participating in the “Paulista” championship with the Torrent jersey.

The young Greek, thanks to his football achievements, emerges as one of the top football players in the world with the nickname “Greko” meaning Greek. Greco had also another Greek teammate in Torrent, named Nikos Lykouris while he becames close friends with Brazilian teammates Gendo and right-back Siu.

Some Brazilian super stars mentioned are Zizihno (reference to Zizinho) and Dariha (reference to Garrincha).

Greco, issue 9 (1959)

International

Greco, originally Greek, he was called up to the Brazil national team which he led to the 1960 South American Championship title.

Legacy

Greco is considered the first and best comic footballer of all time, despite the fact he played for the Brazil national team.

Personal life

He marries a Brazilian girl, Abby, sister of his teammate Gendo, in the last issue of the comic strip in September 1960.

Other characters

In "Greko, the Hero of the Fields" other characters also parade.

These are the Sioux (full name: Inchu Na Tiara Lamata, which means in his language: The Brave Eagle with the Tender Heart), his beloved Abby, who will eventually become his wife, her brother and teammate Gendo, Nino Zanino, the team's bumbling police officer in charge of security, who has as an assistant a very intelligent police bulldog, "Navy", his compatriot and teammate Nikos Lykouris, who has the nickname "Velvet" for his extremely powerful shot, and Sirocco Menestrello, the team's masseuse, whose juggling skills and proverbial absent-mindedness add another note of cheerfulness close to that of the bumbling policeman.

Greco may be considered a football comic, however his creator, Giorgos Marmaridis, on several occasions gave police action dimensions to football.

Honours

Note that all records are fictional, and only date as far as 1960, the last completed season of the comic strip.

League

• La Liga: '
• Ligue 1:

South American

• Copa Libertadores:
  • Winners: 1960

International

• Copa America:
  • Winners: 1960

See also

• Dick The Gunner
• Eric Castel

Sources

• «Γκρέκο» (1959), το πρώτο ελληνικό ποδοσφαιρικό κόμικ!
• ΓΚΡΕΚΟ: "Βίβα, Γκρέκο!" (τεύχος 1)

• External links==
• Greco issues 1-36 on issu

---